that the next leader of the catholic church has something of john the xxiii in him and the birth of paul vi and the role of women in the churnl. lots needs to be done. god bless our next pope. god bless the decision on how to pick him. and that's "hardball" for now. thanks for being with us. "politics nation" with al sharpton starts right now. >> thanks, chris: and thanks to you for tuning in. >>> tonight's lead, republicans pass the buck. on this case, 85 billion bucks. with just one day to go until massive spending cuts kick in, republicans have a new idea and it's a doozie. they never wanted a balanced approach that the president wanted. some cuts, some revenues increases, nope, they want just cut, cut, cut. so, today, they decided their new plan would be make the president decide which programs get axed. now, why would they want to make the president wield the ax? well, maybe they've turned on their local news in their home districts to see that the country is furious about the cuts. >> senior action runs meals on wheels ain hastings and provide a hot meal to 80 seniors. but the popu